The Conspiracy of Religious Disinformation

Recently many fictional stories related to Christianity have garnered much interest in popular culture. The Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code
is the most notable, and emerging now is the NBC television series Revelations whose first few episodes have reportedly raked in great ratings.
But do these stories represent the Bible correctly? NO!

The Da Vinci Code represents Christ as a married man who passed on his bloodline to the kings of Europe through a child had by Mary Magdalene.
Different sects of Christianity may have separate takes on how this would affect the religion if it were true, but the fact remains that there's
virtually no evidence scripturally or otherwise to support these supposed historical events. I saw a documentary looking into Brown's depiction of
history where he himself said such beliefs were widely held in the south of France where, in his retelling, Mary Magdalene and Jesus' child fled to
after the crucifixion. Yet when the producers went to that area of France, they could find no one who held the view. In fact one woman televised said
it was sacrilege.

NBC's Revelations is a dramatic television series that has just begun broadcast with only two episodes aired so far at the time of this
writing. Obviously, it's premature to judge the whole series now, but I already see blatant divergences from my understanding of the scriptures. The
series seems to be claiming that Christ will return again as a human baby that needs to be protected by nuns and that human intervention may prevent
or delay the final battle between good and evil and save the world from final judgment. This is incorrect. Scripturally, when Jesus returns, he will
return thusly:

His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his
voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp doubleedged sword. His face was
like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

So, what is going on here? Is it just that the public wants to hear fictional distortions of the Bible stories, not scripturally sound stories? I
don't think so. Look at the success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which did spectacularly in the box office while remaining
quite true to the word of the gospels, despite being ridiculed for various reasons and even being called racist and antisemitic.

Is there a conspiracy here that wants to mislead people who want to learn more about their faith? If so, who's running it? Secular forces pushing
moral relativism over traditional values are certainly involved, but could there be more, a NWO/Illuminati conspiracy possibly backed by an evil
force, even involving the antichrist? I think it's possible.

That perhaps a bit of cynical manipulation of increased popularity in faith is just being exploited for dollars, perhaps something else.

But from your religious angle, I'd put Tim LaHaye right at the top of the list of people spreading disinformation for gain.

His Left Behind series is fiction being pushed as truth in some circles and a cultural, political and religious movement to boot.

It's the religious corruption that threatens religion in my mind. Left Behind and all the other titles you mentioned are to Religion what Star
Trek is to Science. It can be fun fantasy, but don't name your kid Worf or try to teach public high school science classes on the basis of dilithium
crystal theory.

When people is not happy or is discontent, they fall into their faith to look for answers, the problem is that most of this people fall prey of
religious misinterpretation and in Religious conspiracy theories.

Why so many believe in these conspiracies including the end of times? Because is better to believe that is a light at the end of the tunnel than
looking for solutions to the problems and if is the end of the world and the end of misery and unhappiness so beat it.

The problem with conspiracies in religion is like any other conspiracy you can feed it any time but they are hard to disprove if the end of time
doesn’t come in time another time and another conspiracy will be created to satisfy the faithful.

Conspiracy creators base their knowledge on “special Knowledge” and in this case in the end of time age, it comes from the knowledge of the bible
in their own interpretations.

It is easier to create tales and spin them around than to look for the truth.

Conspiracies like the end of times and Revelations can be spin around with not end, and actually nobody will question them because they are in the
bible anyway. What it does is to bring forward dark fantasy to feed the paranoia together with thousands of book on the subject and movies and
programs you keep the people on the edge and glue to the theories.

Most conspiracies evolve and grow and nobody looks to see if they are true. The longer they stay Without been questioned the more people start to
believe in it.

Conspiracies tend to be secrets in themselves that nobody really knows the outcome but they can fantasize on it and keep spinning around for ages, as
with Religious conspiracies and the end of the world.

Conspiracies in Religion have become profitable, exploitable and easy manipulated because is always and audience that feeds from it.

Even the bible talks about conspiracies but even the bible made sure that they are dismissed and disproved.

Marg, a lot of what you say is exactly on target. But it's not just end-times apocalyptic stories. It's everything. I think a lot of people are
hungry for more religious information and many are too busy or lazy to really sit down and read the Bible, so they look to books, television, etc. for
a source, but what they're finding all too often is not really truly following the Bible's teachings.

I agree, see people belief and trust their religious leaders and their interpretation of the bible and the word of God, for too long without trying to
find the truth within themselves but usually what others tell them.

People is hungry for truth, they want prof, they want omens, they want visions, miracles they want the end to times and Jesus back.

Profiteers knows that and they are exploiting these needs.

You want to know how desperate people are? look at the thread on the "vision on the underpass" people in their hunger for divine prof will become
delusional and they will see in their faith what is not there.

That is why we are having so many doomsday predictions lately and whenever a natural tragedy happens you see religious groups misleading the people
into thinking that for some reason is related to God and his divine intervention, and sadly enough people will believe.

Instead of people preparing for a time of need and a way of survival for some natural disaster or some changes on our earth, they are preparing to be
save by divine intervention because they think they will be spared any tragedy in the future.

As you see our society is a sitting duck because they believe the end of times is coming soon.

Here's a thought: the object of the End Times has been an ongoing heart-felt belief since the moment of Christ's death.

The difference is that over the centuries, exploitation of such a belief has reached monumental proportions. That despite this exploitation, there are
millions of people who sincerely believe that the End Times is a real event and are still eagerly awaiting its return.

I believe in religious tolerance, for all those of every religious denomination or religion. What I don't buy into is the ever growing monetary
exploitation practices that have sprouted over the End Times.

I like prophecies because they do predict things base in the past accounts, I believe the earth has been relatively quiet, I believe that our earth is
going to go through some major changes, and that predictions has point this out over and over.

I think people needs to get prepared to survive any natural tragic event instead of just sitting at home waiting for salvation.

If you are going to be save it will come for you regardless, but if you are not is better to be prepared to survive, salvation can always come some
other time in history.

Let's remember that the Bible wasn't settled into its present form until the 4th or 5th century, when some gospels were taken out because they were
judged "apocryphal". That work was done by early popes and bishops - sometimes helped by emperors like Constantine - who were already some centuries
removed from Christ's life. So does the Bible - or at least the New Testament - really represent the word of God, or is there more out there that can
shed light on Christ's message?

Essentially, what you're dealing with is a drama based upon an writer's personal interpretation. One need not look further than the many variations
of Superman. From Fritz Lang to Bryan Singer, each artist has their own version what the story's truth actually is.

The bible is no different. It's a collection of parables and symbolism gathered together from various civilizations over the course of centuries,
however divine in nature it might be. It was written by many different people with many different points of view, based upon how they percieved these
past events to have occured.

Revelations is simply a variation and a poorly written copy of Chris Carter's own Millenium, which tackled the question of the oncoming apocalypse
much better. The Davinci Code is essentially Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade mixed in with the Illuminati.

Look, I'm a professional writer. I write dramas, and most of the time, that means connecting the dots over the course of several acts. Sometimes,
those dots aren't meant to be connected, but we have to connect them somehow. There's no more a conspiracy of Religious Disinformation then there is
a conspiracy of Forensic Psychology Disinformation or Blind Detective Guy disinformation. The Matrix and Chris Carter's Harsh Realm told essentially
the same story, but from wildy different view points.

The bible was certainly a book, as was Frankenstein. As was Dracula. And yet, there have been a hundred different variations on each theme. RANT
brought up a very good point about Dan Brown. His Left Behind books are simply a variation on the Armageddon theme. The great irony is that the
screenwriter, Alan McElroy, also wrote New Line's adaption of Todd McFarland's Spawn...which is yet another variation on the Armageddon theme.

What does it all mean?

Essentially, it's this. Films and Tv move in cycles. These cycles represent the national subconscious. In the late 60's and early 70's, films
reflected the secret, overwhelming national fear of the turbulent times in which people lived. They were cynical and they were gritty. Everybody was a
little guilty. Everybody had some blood on their hands. It was the era of Nixon and Vietnam, and society teetered on the very cusp of breakdown. Films
like the Exorcist, the French Connection, All the Presidents Men, Urban Cowboy, Taxi Driver, and Dirty Harry, simply reflected how people felt.

The late 70's and early 80's were about new optimism, and the released films reflected that. The New Millenium isn't breaking new ground, it's
simply returning to an old one. The nation is paralized between two shifting fault lines. Red and Blue. Everyone is cynical. We're at war, the
economy isn't doing as well as it's supposed to. Basically, we're in flux and the national psyche is worried.

Naturally, people will then gravitate towards films and television shows that reflect their worries, however hidden and subconscious they may be.

The da vinci code is a fictional novel, that is, it is imaginary. It appeals to people who hold to conspiracy theories, but it makes no claims of
being true. It is as true, for example, as a James Bond movie.

Is there any possibility that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had children together? No. Did Leonardo da Vinci actually intend to portray a woman
at the Last Supper? No, there isn't a shred of historical evidence for such an idea.

According to Brown, the great crime of the church was suppressing what he calls the "sacred feminine" , making the church patriarchal against
Jesus' wishes, and choosing four gospels which falsely portray Jesus as the Son of God. It is unclear whether Brown really believes these fictions,
or whether he just thinks they make a good story.

The "sacred feminine" is nothing other than the Mother Earth Goddess concept which is common to many pagan religions including Baal worship. There
is a description in the book of a pagan ritual with immoral sexual activity that isn't much different from the fertility rites connected with the
worship of Baal and his consort that the Old Testament prophets labeled as being both idolatry and adultery.

Leonardo DaVinci evidently was a Grand Master of the Priory of Holy Sion during his lifetime. According to Brown, DaVinci believed that the Church
should be worshipping the "sacred feminine" and that Mary was Jesus' wife. Brown claims that DaVinci hid clues to what he believed in his
paintings, hence the title of the book.

Every so often somebody comes out with a book that says that the Bible's claims about Jesus are false. Although there is no evidence that the alleged
writings of Jesus and Mary Magdalene ever existed, there were early books written about Jesus which were rejected by the early church as pure fantasy.
We teach and believe that the four Gospels which are included in the New Testament are there because the church recognized that they are the inspired
work of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, what they say about Jesus is the truth.

The worship of the "sacred feminine" which is portrayed so favorably in the book is simply a return to the darkness and wickedness of heathendom.
Both the Old and New Testaments are clear and vehement in their condemnation of this course of action.

Satan delights even more in distracting believers away from the truth, then he does keeping non-believers away from the truth.

might as well add the popularity of even so called belivers and biblical scholars using "The bible code" Satan is perfectly delighted if we become
Bible trivia experts by spending our time searching for strange new meanings or codes hidden in the text of Scripture. Such pursuits puff people up
with supposed facts or knowledge, but often lead them away from what builds humble faith. Consider how searching for fanciful levels of meaning in
every passage of Scripture, has always been to the Christian Church. Instead of seeking to take God's simple message of law and gospel to heart, such
playing with Scripture (codes, allegory, and the like) distorts Bible study into a game for the mentally nimble instead of a challenge and comfort to
the spiritually sick. Those who engage in such spiritual sport often become so enamored with what they claim to have unearthed in the Bible that they
lose all sight of the simple message of sin and grace which God has very clearly proclaimed.

Indulging in such debate over curious questions raised about Scripture instead of taking its obvious message to heart was one of the chief failings of
the scribes and pharisees whom Jesus so soundly called to repentance. They loved to debate the deep wisdom of the rabbis supposedly gleaned from
Scripture, but they couldn't recognize the Son of God when he stood right before them. They were Bible experts whose eyes were blind to the truth of
the Bible.

Now "The Passion" was a very good movie, but many forget that it is the Roman Catholic's point of veiw of the suffering of Christ. it is subtle
and most people would probly miss it the differances. Personally I only think it is minor trivial things. Yet questions could be raised by
non-belivers when they look at scripture and compare it to the movie. most notably being what the soldier says after he spears the side of Jesus to
make sure he's dead, which is absent from the Movie, and is a great example of someone coming to faith. Secondly is the constant catholic portrayal
of Mary Magdalene as the Prostitute that Jesus saved from stoning in the gospel of John. there is no evidance to support that, yet Catholics still
cling to that falsehood.

I haven't even considered the Left Behind series or the Bible code. I haven't read any of the Left Behind books yet, so I'm not sure
how closely they follow the Bible, I know it's fiction but you can fiction that simply fills in some missing pieces or fiction that is just loosely
based on the Bible and basically rewrites it. The Bible code, if it exists at all, is probably only in the original Torah (first 5 books), but people
have been extending it looking for it in all of both the Old and New Testaments. The whole thing probably is a diversion from the true meaning of the
Bible.

For a lot of Christians, fictional works putting variants on the Book seems to have little negative impact. There were some works represented as
fiction which I feel are pretty thought-provoking and opens a door to a lot of discussion. It's intersting viewing things from other paradigms even
though it's not what's written. In fact, it can help your Book get more excerise if you see something that doesn't look right. If it damages
one's faith, that's when I cannot help but question what kind of relationship they have with God.

For those foreign to God, the Word, and what Christians believe, I think this is where it could do someone the most harm. If someone wanted to learn
about logic and science, I wouldn't hand them the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Granted the HGTTG is a wholly remarkable book, but it will not
teach you any fundamental truths. When one takes a fictional book as possible truth, it just leads to further confusion and skepticism when REAL
truth is being proposed. In otherwords, it can make a person closed-minded while claiming to have the opposite effect.

Who's behind the conspiracy? All of us who want to show how wonderfully creative we can be, boast on our intellectual superiority, and claim to be
masters of the universe. All of us who are media sheep, getting absorbed by whatever pop culture feeds us, instead of going out there and doing the
research on our own. Seek and you'll find. If we sit with our mouths open, then you'll be feed whatever they want to feed you.

Originally posted by Seekerof
Here's a thought: the object of the End Times has been an ongoing heart-felt belief since the moment of Christ's death.

The difference is that over the centuries, exploitation of such a belief has reached monumental proportions. That despite this exploitation, there are
millions of people who sincerely believe that the End Times is a real event and are still eagerly awaiting its return.

I believe in religious tolerance, for all those of every religious denomination or religion. What I don't buy into is the ever growing monetary
exploitation practices that have sprouted over the End Times.

seekerof

Why many wait with great anticipation for the end of times is beyond me. Many that are trying to push this forward, and there is no way they can for
it has already happened, are going to have an "eye opening" experience when they find they are not where they thought they would be.

Baptist ministers scream at their congregations that they are the only
ones 'right with God' and that everyone else, especially those Catholics
and Church of Christ are going to hell.

Church of Christ ministers then scream at their congregations that
everyone else, especially those Baptists and Catholics, are going to
hell.

Catholics? Well, everyone else is right so we'd better adopt the
Protty way of doing things .... cuz they have all the money flowing in
ya' know ...

So there is religious disinformation being crammed
down the throats of Catholics, about Catholics, by ... CATHOLICS

yada yada yada, and so on and so on ....

All the yelling is backed up with 'facts' about the other people's religious
beliefs .. all 'facts' are wrong of course, but no one bothers to check out
exactly what anyone else believes or why. It's easier to think you are
on the fast train to heaven and everyone else is wrong.

Throw in some guilt, and the money basket gets filled up during the
service.

Definately a conspiracy of religious disinformation. Different denominations
spewing disinformation about other denominations in an attempt to keep
the sheeple filling the money basket in that particular house of worship.

flyersfan--you just got my vote for the month, too.
Someone on this thread said were just too lazy to read the bible to learn about the truth. No, were too lazy to read about what life was like when
the bible was started. If you can educate yourself about those times and Constantine, and how all he wanted was to create peace between the pagans
and the followers of jesus, you'd see a mad scurry to come out with something, and it would be best to downplay the role of women.

Kazi nailed it, too, from the historical context. Constantine didn't really care about religion one way or another - he cared about peace. So,
whatever doctrine would please the most people would become the doctrine of the realm.

Margo (whose avatars cause me to have impure thoughts) - your mother was correct in both present and historical context. The RCC used to actually
sell "salvation" and in almost as many flavors as Baskin Robbins! For those too poor to buy indulgences, they could get their own
"Get-out-of-Hell-Free-Card" by fighting in the Crusades (usually for a minimum of 40 days). If you volunteered to slaughter heretics, you would go
to heaven no matter what you believed or what else you did in this world.

Personally, I'm not sure there is any way to make a clear distinction about what is "information" and what is "disinformation" when it comes to
religion.

wow, amazing how flyersfan hijacked this thread. we WERE talking about religious themed media outside of the church, and he decided to just attack the
church instead. Not to say the Church is right, but the fact I rather not go back to beating that dead horse issue when i can find over a hundred
other threads that do that.

Flyersfan, Do you have any comments as to why the Books by Dan brown and so popular? or how they affect both believers and non-belivers?

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